User blog:KnightReturns422/Darkness Within
Chapter I: Battle of Iktotch Venator-class Cruiser Consuar, 0950 hours, Centaxday, en-route to Iktotch system, 21 BBY, Clone Wars era Blue and white light covered the windows of the Venator-class Cruiser Consular. It meant that it was in hyperspace and that they were making good timing, provided that the Separatists didn't establish a strong position when they arrived. That was what Kyle Redbreak hoped. He was tired, but that didn't matter: in war, there's little rest. Just seventy-six hours ago, the Jedi War Council dispatched him and the First Fleet to halt a fleet of Separatist ships threatening several Republic outposts in the Iktotch system. Initially, the First Fleet was on stand-by to assist the clone trooper forces on Umbara, but the 16th Sector Army, which had the Iktotch system within its jurisdiction, could not spare any of its reserves to defend it. In fact, nearly all Sector Armies did not have enough clone reserves to shore up the line. Kyle sighed. Ever since the Clone Wars began, clone production was around the clock. What really matters in this war are credits, thought Kyle grimly. Credits. The word that decided who was at an advantage in this fight. Credits were needed to build warships and fighters. Credits were needed to construct ground vehicles and heavy weapons. As more credits were funded into these massive projects, the Republic was becoming bankrupt, and opposition from citizens only worsened the problem. If more credits are being made, then inflation is certain to follow, thought Redbreak. He looked around: hardly anyone seemed bothered by this warship's value; all they seemed bothered to do was to keep the Consular's functioning systems humming along--all on the orders of Admiral James Reeves, who joined Kyle on the bridge. "We'll be arriving in the system in four minutes, General", he told Kyle. Reeves looked weary: he didn't get as much sleep either. "Very good Admiral. Have Thunderbird Squadron prepared to launch once we drop out of hyperspace. Tell Branch to get the ground forces ready. We need to swiftly engage the Droid Army before they overrun the outposts on the asteroid." "Understood sir". Reeves turned around and went to the holotable, issuing orders to the naval crew along the way. Kyle looked to his right. Joch was there, talking with a naval crew member. Young, worn and blonde haired, Joch Farlight shared many characteristics with his master. Both spent considerable time in the archives and both were exceptional pilots. "Get ready Joch," his master said. "We'll be dropping out in two minutes, and we must be there in the hangar with Branch and the rest of the troops". Joch turned to face him and nodded. He knew that he was going to be assessed on his lightsaber skills and Force abilities that he had been taught by his master, and what better than way to put them to good use by fighting on the battlefield? The Republic fleet dropped out of hyperspace, and already the Separatists were positioned, ready to fire at any incoming support ships. Reeves studied them carefully: two Recusant-class cruisers, three frigates and one Providence-class Destroyer. All of them were placed in a spear-like formation. Vulture Droids and Hyenda Droid Bombers who were already airborne, began to move towards the First fleet. "Return fire!", Reeves barked to the crew. Almost immediately the turbolasers fired at the incoming invaders. The Consular ''shook but its crew members were unfazed: they had endured this before. Thunderbird Squadron soon started engagement and the comms on the ships were crowded with voices, some requesting support, others making progress from the squadrons. Kyle watched as Republic fighters dived, rolled and attacked the frigates. He grinned; Avis had trained the pilots relentlessly and he expected them to inflict an enormous dent to the Confederacy. "General Redbreak, we received a transmission from the outpost." Reeves was by the holo table when the it happened. "Several droid transport ships have landed on the asteroid and are requesting ground reinforcements". "Right Reeves. We'll be there. Come, Joch. It's time to get our hands dirty. The Padawan nodded and followed Kyle's lead. Minutes later, Branch, Valex and the rest of the troops were ready to depart. The walkers were loaded, Booster Company and Phantom Company were in the gunships--they were all eager for battle. "Let's go men". Gunships of the 3rd Larty Wing launched from the hangar, being careful to avoid any fire from the enemy. "You all know what to do", Kyle told the men. They nodded, brandishing their blasters. The 422nd troops had faced their enemy many times, and this encounter would just be the same. The intercom echoed into the cabin saying, "Approaching target. Prepare to disembark once green lights appear". At once the men made final adjustments to their helmets in case their com was working properly while others made sure their blasters were fit to fire once they touched ground. Kyle could sense the eagerness and adrenaline in them. To say nothing of the least, he was not surprised: these clones were bred for battle. Next to him, Joch maintained a grip on the handrail. The Padawan had already unhooked his lightsaber and he showed no signs of apprehension. "Red light, stand by", came the intercom. "Not long now, master", said Joch, his finger over the activiation stud of his sword. Kyle slightly grinned and unhooked his lightsaber. Soon the gunships touched the surface of the asteroid and green lights filled the cabin. "Green signal men, move out and fire!", called Branch as he and several troops jumped out and started firing rapidly. Both Kyle and Joch ignited their lightsabers and immediately they deflected the first six shots from B1 Battle Droids nearby. Soon the AT-RT and AT-XT Walkers joined the fray and the explosions rocked and shooked. 'Providence-Destroyer Invisible Hand, ''1200 hours, Centaxday General Grievous seethed with fury as he watched several more Vulture Droid squadrons being obliterated by the Republic's elite fighters. ''Such cheap manufacturing of these droids produce only poor results, ''Grievous thought in contempt. He had no love for these pathetic tin soldiers. All he cared about was a rapid victory and further torment for the innocent. Furthermore, he relished the idea of slaying another Jedi and taking their lightsaber as a trophy for his "collection". "General", said an all too familiar voice. Grievous turned and faced a hologram of Count Dooku. Tall, old and emanating a higher authority, Dooku's eyes were filled with malice, which only increased as his deveotion to the dark side grew. "My master", Grievous bowed. "What have you to report?", asked the Count, though he could already surmize all was not well. "The First Fleet has already arrived. Their fighters are preventing us from retaliating. Ground forces under the command of General Redbreak are rapidly making advances to push our armies off the asteroid", Grievous said. Dooku glared. Grievous had failed him on several occasions and his intolerance for failure was almost reaching breaking point. "Then", said Dooku holding back the urge to reprimand the droid general, "You must do something about it. Fly to the asteroid, engage General Redbreak and his forces. Above all, do not forget your first confrontation with him". "Yes my lord", Grievous bowed again before Dooku's hologram disappeared. Grievous turned back to the viewport then said to his Tactical Droid, "Ready my ship. I want to be ready to leave in five minutes". "Yes, General", the Tactical Droid said plainly. Grievous left the bridge, his metallic hands fingering the lightsabers he took with him from Vassek. He knew there was little chance of salvaging the situation, but if he could kill Kyle Redbreak, it would give him satisfaction in the least. ''One less Jedi for the galaxy and for our cause to deal with, ''Grievous thought maliciously. '''Republic Asteroid Fathom, 1245 hours, Centaxday' More droids. Doesn't the Confederacy have anything else other than these?, Joch thought as he twirled his lightsaber at a B2 droid. He didn't really appreciate the Confederacy using droids as war machines, let alone be poorly trained in using a blaster. But it didn't matter: the past is in the past. "Sep tanks incoming, ready rockets!", called a clone. "Squad Aurek, flank the droids on the right!", called Kyle as he jumped atop a Spider Droid and drove his lightsaber into its head. Bang, bang, bang. Artillery strikes, blasters blazing, heavy explosions, it wasn't new to Joch; he had already had his share of combat and like many others, he could consider himself a veteran of the war. "Hyena Droid Bombers incoming!", roared Branch. Almost at once the troops scrambled to find cover. Bombs from the Hyenas rained down, again shaking the massive asteroid. Several bodies somersaulted into the air and as the dust settled, Kyle could see an all-too famailiar ship descending towards the surface. "Is that Grievous' ship?", asked Joch. "It certainly is. He's come out of his comfort zone", said Kyle. He turned to Branch and replied, "Press on with the assault. Joch and I will keep the General busy". "Understood sir", said Branch, before rejoining the troops. "Anything I should know about Grievous master? This is my first time facing him", said Joch. "Only that he's bent on killing every Jedi he sees. He likes taking their lightsaber as trophies and don't let yours be among his collection", said Kyle. The two Jedi waited as the Souless One ''made a landing and out came the cyborg. His eyes sparkled with glee as he saw Kyle, then turned his attention to Joch. "I see you brought your "pet" with you, General Redbreak", Grievous glowered. Joch scowled: he wasn't going to be taunted by a "puppet" being controlled by Dooku. "No doubt you have trained him in your ineffcient Jedi teachings", Grievous continued, reaching for the first two lightsaber on his belt. "I have taught him well, I assure you. And I will warn that he is well experienced in lightsaber combat", said Kyle, retaining his composure. Joch smirked slightly. "We shall see", said Grievous. "I remember our last encounter, and this time you will not be so lucky, even if you do have your apprentice by your side!" Grievous ignited his lightsabers and lunged at the two. Joch and Kyle quickly parried and attempted their own offensive attack, but Grievous hurled it back. As the battle raged, screams of guns and explosions still echoed, yet it did not seem to reach Kyle or Joch; they were too pre-occupied with Grievous. "Your destruction is inevtiable, scum", Grievous snarled. Grievous grabbed Kyle by his clawed foot, and threw him farther away. Joch jumped at him, but Grievous punched him. As both Jedi stood up, bruised, Grievous' other two hands reached for the other lightsabers and immediately he was walking towards them, all four lightsabers spinning that left burn marks on the asteroid. Kyle and Joch maintained their ground, waiting for the opportunity to find a weakness in the cyborg's attack. Before both Jedi could mount a defense, Grievous grabbed Kyle with his cyber foot, choking the Jedi master. Kyle gasped as Grievous looked at hhuihiuhju with glee. " Such weakness in you, Redbreak. Perhaps I shall kill you first before moving on to kill your Padawan". "Leave... my.. Padawan... out... of this...", Kyle gasped. "Or perhaps I shall kill him first to make you suffer! To capitalise of your failure of protecting him!" The general threw Kyle over to the side; it seemed Grievous had taken the alternative. As Kyle rolled, he fell into unconsciousness, leaving Joch to deal with the monster. Maintianing his composure, Joch remained focused, ready to withstand any attack form Grievous. The cyborg lunged and Joch parried. Obviously, physical attacks against this child didn't work, so Grievous turned to taunting. "A Jedi you may be, but you're still weak to control this battle". "Try me, droid", Joch retorted, exchanging blows once again. As the two continued, Kyle slowly regained consciousness. As he slowly tried to get up, Joch, although holding his ground was not faring well against Grievous' attacks. At last, there was a weakness in Joch's defense and Grievous seized it. He swung his lightsaber and inflicted a heavy wound across Joch's chest. "AUGH!", cried Joch in pain. He let go of his lightsaber and fell to the ground, blood pouring out. "I see you feel the pain", Grievous snarled. "Allow me to bring you more!" "No!". Kyle although still injured, raised his hand and pushed Grievous away from Joch. Grievous was hoisted several meters and fell, with two of his lightsabers being released from his grip. Grievous looked up, his anger rising. "Still defiant? Very well. I shall grant you a swift death while your Padawan watches!" "Do anything to him and that'll be the last mistake you make", said Kyle. He suddenly felt a lust of strength, but not from the Force, but from his anger. As Grievous shot forward, Kyle raised both his hands and unleashed a wave of lightning onto the cyborg. The general, surprised, tried to endure, but the electrical pain was causing too much damage to his circuits. As Redbreak lowered his hands, he saw that Grievous was in a pitiable state. Recognizing that he could not win this fight, Grievous slowly limped back towards his fighter. "You're not going anywhere, general!" Kyle tried to give pursuit, but his injuries prevented him from doing so. Furthermore, Kyle could sense Joch was near approaching death and that his master's help was far greater than chasing the monster. The ''Soulless One ''lifted up from the air, returning to the fleet. As it did, the battle here was winding down. "Joch...", called Kyle. Joch didn't reply. As blood continued to pour out, Branch, along with several other troopers, ran to assist the Jedi. "Stang! Get commander Farlight to the medic bay. On the double! The troopers immediately complied to Branch's orders and soon a stretcher was provided for Joch to be taken away. "Are you okay sir?", Branch asked as he held out his hand to help Kyle up. Kyle took it, but soon had to lean on Branch for support. "Several injuries to my leg and arm, but Joch's condition is what I am more concerned about. As soon as he is recovering, I will see him." "Yes sir. The battle has winded down and the Sep fleet is in full retreat. Another rousing victory for us eh?" "Yeah... anoter victory..." Kyle allowed a small smile to cross his face. '''Room 5E, Medical Bay, Hammer Outpost, 0400 hours, Primeday' (To be Continued) Category:Blog posts